Food Storage: How Do I Know if My Mylar Bags Have Sealed Correctly?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- Mylar bags can be an effective way to package dry goods for long-term storage. But if you are new to storing food in Mylar bags, you might be worried whether or not you actually packaged the food correctly. The last thing that you want is to go to use your stored goods and discover that your food has spoiled because it was packaged incorrectly.
In this video, we'll review best practices for storing food in Mylar bags and help you to troubleshoot potential problems. Mylar bags that don't suck in or stay puffy is one of the biggest concerns our viewers share with us. Thanks to Ryan for asking the question!
We are big fans of Wallaby's Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. The quality is perfect for long-term storage. You can check out Wallaby Mylar bags at bit.ly/3fmgEqD. Use the promo code PROVIDENT5 for $5 off.
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You can learn more about packaging food for long-term storage at TheProvidentPrepper.org.
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i got my yearly bonus today... i spent it on a pressure canner, 60 mylar bags, 100 pounds of rice, bean, flour, sugar
That is awesome!!!
Very nice 👍
You are wise... don't let anyone know just keep taking care of your future...
SMART
Great investment! Keep on prepping
The question, has in fact, been keeping me up at night! All of my bags don't look airtight. I redid them and I was thinking of redoing them again until I watched your video. I also love the wallaby bags! Thank you for this, now I can sleep easy :-)
Same here! My rice bags hardened but the pinto beans haven't. I'm also using wallaby bags.
Love your channel - same thing here I woke up today thinking I need to redo all these bags after I did them with the seven mill mylar bags and it was pinto beans too !! and none of them sucked in so I took one of them and re-did it inside of the bag into a new bag with another oxygen absorber and still it did not suck in lol but I will take this as advice and not redo the rest of the bags
Thank you for this video!! I HAVE lost sleep over this. I used the Wallaby, one gallon bags to store my rice, and beans. I used the 300 oxygen absorbers and none of my bags look “hard”. I did a second batch and used two 300 oxygen absorbers and still none of them are “hard”. I can sleep better, but I will still worry a bit 😊😂
@@TheProvidentPrepper Thank you!!!! :)
this is me, I just this morning redid a whole bunch of bags...then after I was done, I found this video :) better late then never, now I am a bit more educated and wont be "re-doing" bags unless they actually need it
Those “pinholes” are NOT holes! It’s just a spot where the metal coating has worn off. Mylar is actually just a clear plastic, coated in metal. This tiny “pinhole” of lost coating does not affect the functionality of the bag!
This information comes directly from the manufacturer.
You all are so positive! God bless you all.
Oh I was waiting for this one! THANKS
I have had that exact question. Thanks for the information
Thank goodness I found you, I'm new to prepping and bagged a whole heap of flour yesterday and this morning they look flatter but not sucked in, I had previously done rice and ended up redoing them 3 times. I over compensated with the oxygen absorbers, so now I feel confident, after watching your video, that all is good.
I sought you out for this exact reason. Never disappointed in your thoroughly explained videos :)
Thank you so much for this video 🙂 I feel much better about my food storage.
Thanks for the quick reply. I’m new to the Mylar bag thing. Love your videos. So much information.
If I may add , if you freeze dry certain foods there is a good chance that the food will be brittle and possible poke a hole in the bag, so you may not want it to be to tight
I line the inside of mylar with thick food grade plastic/paper bag to reduce chance of sharp items poking the mylar.
Thank you so much for the video. Made me more confident!
Thank you both for all the hard work and very informative videos.❤️
Thank you for making this video! I feel so much better now.
Thank you so much you two! You really take the pressure off my shoulders with this video.
Love this channel. Thanks for the comfort knowing.
omg, this is the video I have been looking for!! Thank you for doing this!!
I'm so glad that y'all made this video. I've been wondering about stuff like this, because I had these exact problems, when I vaccum sealed some food for storage, a few weeks ago.
Very useful demonstration, thanks!
Thanks to the both of you! I have been a bit worried about some of the food I packed away. This made me feel better about it! 👍
this was immensely helpful - thank you!
This was so helpful thank you. Love your channel. I just ordered my first set of bags.
Thanks for this information. I was pretty worried about this subject also
Thank you for your help!
Good information thank you. Now I get the concept on how to use a mylar bag in the oxygen observer.
Great video as usual, thank you !
Good explanations!!👍👍
Thank goodness I thought to come here to look this topic up. I figured, if anyone covered it you had. This is a huge relief. I could not figure out why bags I had done within seconds had a different look. I am glad I do not have to redo them and saved that money!
Thank you so much for making this video! It has given me peace of mind!!!!! I have watched a lot of your videos and learned a lot. I wasn’t sure what kind of mylar bags to buy until, I watched your videos. I’m so glad I waited I purchased Wallaby bags, they are excellent! ❤️🇺🇸💙
Thanks for the video helped me in some of my concerns
Thanks for the tip about not putting oxygen absorbers in sugar. I went and quickly took it out of the Mylar bag and saved it. Newbie here. Lol.
GOOD JOB GUYS.
I'm glad you explained how some of the bags are a little puffy. I have a few spaghetti bags that did tt. I store the mylar in a food grade bucket after. Your channel is wonderful. Thanks!
You guys are awesome. I just did my first paging with white rice and I was already concerned I did something wrong but they pulled down from what they started at. And you put my mind at ease. I appreciate your videos for us starting out. We need this info. 👍
😂6:45💀
Sorry, I love you guys and this channel has so much value. I genuinely appreciate you both, but I have an immature sense of humor✌🏻
Thank you very much for that video! I have reopened and thrown away like 20 good oxygen absorbers because I wasn’t getting that tight brick bag look! Oh well, got to expect a little waste in the learning process. I would like to point out something that you all could mention in your next video (that would help us beginners); and that is, that the 300-600 ccs per gallon is not rated for an EMPTY gallon. I thought it was and that was a big part of my problem. Apparently, the actual ccs needed to absorb all the oxygen in an empty gallon bag is 800; 400 for bags containing loosely packed goods; and 300 for tightly packed goods(give or take). I was packing my rice in 2 gallon Mylar bags and NOT filling them completely up. I also assumed that 2 gallons was 2 gallons 🤔. 2 gallons of rice is not the same as 2 gallons of oats by weight. Even without filling the bags to the top, I had packed roughly 17.5 lbs of rice which is actually 2.5 gallons and provided only 2 gallons worth of oxygen absorbers! Whew! I’m glad I made these little mistakes while there was still time. Jesus is coming back soon, but this world is going to go through a lot of hell first and there ain’t gonna be a rapture! God’s people, get ready!
That’s good advice 👍
He is coming back for His bride and SOON!!!!
I'm not to a place were I'm ready for this step yet but you did answer some of the questions that were lingering about using the Mylar bags.
Thanks. I do keep a eye on the bags. I bagged four 50 lbs of white rice one of the bag didn't look good so I reopened it and install another oxygen absorber . The next day it looks much better. Thanks for your time.
Thank you very much for the info!!
I’m new to Mylar and vacuumed sealing and it sent me to your channel!💐🙏🏼
Yep. I was worried when I did my beans and they weren’t airtight. They’re beans, so I figured they’d be good for at least a while. Your video hit just the right point. Thanks!
Thank you!
Because of you guys I went ahead and started the first steps to preserving. I’ve purchased what Is needed. My son has dietary restrictions and food preferences (to put it lightly). Gluten free oats are 60% of his diet. I will start packaging this weekend. Thank you very much.
Good informational video , thanks for sharing ,God bless !
Thank you
.... I read once to put a little less food in the bag, and when you seal it, do the first, then a second seal 1 cm above the first - always seems to help and you are adding a layer of safety in case the first seal is not 100% perfect - always works well for us ....
awesome video. thx
Watching this, the thing I most wanted to know was how to find a partner who would be into food storage like I am... the phrase that came to mind is "seeking a friend for the end of the world", lol. You two are adorable. I hope I find my guy one day.
The Harvest Right came last week. Thanks for the Wallaby bags tip because up till now I've only long term packaged in bulk using the 5gal bags in a bucket. I'm going to need smaller bags soon! First run I did some mushrooms, celery and tofu. I FD a gallon of whole milk and I have ground beef in the machine now. Vegetable broth will probably be next on my list. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with yours. I was on the fence for so long about it I'm so glad I jumped in!
@@TheProvidentPrepper The tofu turned out great 👍 I used extra firm and cut it into small chunks. I haven't rehydrated it yet but I'm planning on it soon. With the mushrooms and FD shredded cabbage I'm planning on a FD hot and sour soup mix. I can't have gluten/ so I make my own but it would be great to be able to make.a mug on the fly when I'm craving it.
Hi, recently i have packaged food with mylar bags and oxygen absorbs and found similar issues. I now rest assured. Thanks
Thank you for all your knowledge. I have learned so much from you both. I have saved Big money by not making mistakes, by following the rules I learned here!! 😊
@@TheProvidentPrepper QUESTION: can I use a regular large wand curling iron. I don't have a straightener?
@@TheProvidentPrepper yes, I will try that. Thank you so much ☺
Thanks for the recommendation of Wallaby bags. The bags from Amazon hav been hit and miss and this solves a real issue for me. They are my go-to from now on. Thanks!
Thank you😇🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you for this video! Some of my bags look like that and I was concerned. I will rotate that product within a year just to be sure tho
I noticed the Lehi Mills bag. I live in Lehi myself. 😊
Thanks for a very informative video. I'm just getting started using mylar bags. I've used the Food Saver plastic bags and sealed them with the food saver. I have also used mason jars for accessibility. About 1 1/4 inches must be cut off of the plastic bags to access the inside. Mason jars are accessed by popping the lid off and replacing the lid when done. I see mylar as a more expensive longer-term bag accessed much like the plastic bags. I tried to make a chart telling me when to use what, but, it quickly got complicated (my inexperience). Our goal is to build up a primary stock of food for long-term storage and stock for shorter-term to augment the food we use from our pantry. So it is a 3 fold goal; daily use in the pantry, when replenished from our short term then in an emergency in the long term. My question is how would you recommend what container to use for what? Another is: what about egg noodles, potato chips? Only an oxygen absorber in mylar for them? Keep it up, As I watch your videos I'm more confident because you tell both the good and the bad.
Thanks for all your tips. It is reassuring to know that the OA doesn't pull out all the air to make them drum tight.
My question is how to folks organize their mylar bags so they know what they have? We just got a freeze dryer and already I have lots of mylar bags but in time, I know I wont be able to know what I have.
I’m glad you mentioned not using oxygen absorbers when storing sugar in Mylar bags as I was intending to try bagging up some sugar. But as I thought about it, I began to wonder if one could use canning jars for long term storage of sugar using either oxygen absorbers or a vacuum sealer with a canning attachment. I assume the sugar gets hard in a Mylar bag because of the pressure created when the oxygen is absorbed. A canning jar would have a fixed volume and therefore the pressure would be reduced rather than increased.
You are amazing so informative! Where do you buy the huge bags of food staples? And what are your favorites to buy?
Yes I packaged 25 (1) gallons. I like to use 600cc for each one. And (2) silica gels for bottom of my Lars. The silicon gels are safe and to keep out moisture. -- anyhow I didn’t see 15 mylar bags sucked all the way so I ordered more air absorbers and RE-packaged them again. When you use the machine to close mylar bags I seal vags 2 times to make sure it’s air tight. Some times you think it’s completely sealed but there’s a tiny tiny tiny hole.
I am so grateful for this video! It was SO HARD to find information on this subject. I've been storing my freeze dried food for weeks now and never had confidence that the food was safe. I discovered (through your video) that I've been storing my oxygen absorbers incorrectly. I will have to buy more. I will have to discard the food I've already put up for storage due to using "spent" oxygen absorbers. But I am grateful for this video because now I know how to store my food properly. You have given me the confidence to start over.
@@TheProvidentPrepper Also toss in a moisture absorber packet incase foods absorbed some moisture in the air while exposed.
@@TheProvidentPrepper Good to know, thank you.
Great video thank you. I think I may overkill with O2's, as I use 600-900 cc's in 1 gallon bags and 1200 cc's in 2 gallon bags. The bags really suck in tightly, and I kinda prefer that.
Just wanted to say thanks for the heads up on Wallaby bags! I have never used them before, made an order the day this video came out, here we are 2 days later and my entire order showed up, undamaged, and correct/complete in 2 days at no extra charge to me. The bags are really nice quality, some of them got used today. I will be getting more from them
Did they smell like chemicals? Alot of reviews complaining
@@bc454irocz89 No smell of any kind. I have since made a few more orders and every time has been the same, fast, complete order, and arrives undamaged, I really like these bags.
@@floridaman9260 ok I might try them then
@@bc454irocz89 yes they smell awful just out of the bag they come in but it dissipates. They’re really nice bags. I’d rather have smelly good bags then no smelly bags that get holes.
@@enna4986 thanks i probably wouldve bought them if they offered smaller packages like a 5 pack of 5 gallon instead of 15
Thank you so much for your video. I did exactly what you said: bought the Wallaby mylar gallon bags; used the 400cc oxygen absorbers; squeezed as much air out as I could and then quickly sealed with a hair straightener. I then decided to buy a vacuum sealer. I'm doing pretty much the same as before, but removing almost all of the air out (with the vacuum sealer) before I finalize the seal with my hair straightener (which I have to do because the seal from the vacuum sealer isn't sturdy enough). The bags are pretty solid at first, but after a day or so (sometimes quicker) the bags are filling with air. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, but clearly this method is not working for me. If anybody else is having a similar problem, I'd love to hear how you overcame it. Or if anyone just has any suggestions for me I'd love to hear.
I now always seal the ends with hair straightener slightly pass the food sealer seal. The seal strip on ' home' food sealers is a very thin strip.
Thank you so much for this video. I purchased large boxes of individual packets of hot cocoa for storing in Mylar bags but am not sure if I can just toss them in the Mylar bag and add OAs or do I need to poke a pin hole in each packet then add to Mylar bag with OAs. Same with dry powdered milk. Each box contains 4 pkgs that make 2 qts each. New to prepping and could use advice on this issue. Thank you!
As much as I *know* in my mind and in practice that the vaccum seal look isn't necessary, I still love seeing it and it bugs me when I don't achieve it. Maybe some OCD there 🙊🤣
I did the freezing on my beans and rice to sanitize, can I still use the mylar bags after thawing them for 24 hours/room temperature? Ty! Love the channel.
This only happens with the wallaby bags which really makes me question if my food will be good when I need it down the road. I really want to love the wallaby bags and I have a bunch but I'm not sure I'll continue to use them.
Do u guys have a list of foods that u don't use the oxygen absorbers with , cause after watching ur video I learned that u said not to use in sugar because I would of put it in and hammered it in 20 yrs but I loved and learned from your video ..Thanks so much
Any thoughts on using the mylar bags for EMP protection?
Thanks for the great video! Your visual demonstrations clarify everything so well. I have two questions 1) Are there any situations where it’s acceptable or advisable to use both a dessicant and an O2 absorber? 2) if I use an O2 absorber with food that has any moisture, including oils, does that make the contents of the bag susceptible to botulism growth? Foods I’m thinking of would include dehydrated fruits, meats, nuts, pancake mix, eggs, etc.
thank you!
@@TheProvidentPrepper Thank you so much for your reply! Does this mean that oils don’t count as moisture and it’s ok to put them in mylar with an oxygen absorber?
I think I know why a lot of people have problems with their bags being puffy. I am not impressed with Wallaby bags. I bought them because they were so highly recommended and I think some of them are probably good. Not sure about the ones with the gusset bottoms. I saw one comment on here where someone asked why, if you do the same product at the same time, is one hard and the other soft. I think I have the answer. It is because you have pinhole leaks in your gusset bottom. I went to check on some of my stored beans and rice and so many of them were soft...they were hard when I put them in the storage bin. I redid them, same thing. I happened to hold a gallon gusset bag up to the kitchen light and the bottom seam was barely holding together. I have used over 20 of them and am having to redo 18 bags. Out of the ones I haven't used (7 left) all but 1 were useless. Most had either seams that you could see light through where they barely met or pretty big pin holes. SO...your food may not be that good if your bag is soft. It may have holes in it where air is seeping in. The bags feel thick but I do believe that somehow the gusset bottom is causing major problems for a lot of people and they don't know it. From now on I will be holding every bag up to the light before filling them. This has meant so much extra work and expense.
Quick question please, do you seal above the ziplock or below? Some I have seen do it below the zip lock, I’ve just brought my first Mylar bags & oxygen absorbers so would like to package them right.
Thank you for such a helpful video, this is all so confusing & the amount I need to put away is vast I’ve had to take a step back & just do what I can, I feel that time is running out on me, but I find your channel very down to earth & helpful.
So I only put a oxygen absorber in the Mylar bag and I don’t need to suck the air out with my food saver. Thanks totally new at all of this.
Hi, thank you for this informative video.. My question is at what point do I need to package my food for long term storage? So, I have an unopened 4.5 lb of Coach’s Oats that has a Beat Buy date to Feb 2023. Is it ok to leave it in the bag unopened until Feb. 23? Or should I package it for long term storage?
What are the best kind of beans to package with the mylar
Do you have a chart of how long properly sealed items stay good for short and long term storage? I.e. flour in Mylar bags with oxygen absorber should last xx years. I know you have various videos that address individually but was wondering about a cheat sheet or if in the book ?
I don’t see Wallaby mylar bags on Amazon, they just have the absorbers. Can you suggest a good Mylar bag? I did just order some from Azure, but I still need the oxy absorbers. Thank you for this video. This is perfect and answered my concerns more than any other video.
That's the purpose of the absorber.
Glad you covered this subject. I had the same concerns as Ryan. What is the best way to extend the shelf life of powered sugar, powered cocoa and baking goods for sweets in general? I would love a video on your emergency bag. The hubs and I need to do one and I feel unprepared to this correct.
Hi I have a question 🙋♀️ I bought Idaho potatoes and I noticed it had sunflower oil in it. Is it ok to put Oxygen absorber with that in a Mylar bag? I love your channel and love all the advice. Y’all are great
I have a vacuum sealer. Will that do if I put the bags in a 5 gal bucket???? Will it last as long???
Hello. When you slit the bag and put another oxygen absorber, just in case, how exactly do you reseal it and where should you slit it at?
I slit mine in front and resealed it, but it didnt seem to work. So, i cut the top, with the closure strip off and resealed it that way. So, can that be done too? Just sealing a mylar bag without a secondary closure on the bag.
You guys are wonderful! Thank you for your posts!
I just bought the 5 gallon and 1 gallon gusseted Wallaby bags. I've packaged 15 gusseted bags with rice and beans. Sealed all with an oxy absorber, and none have sucked in. They're all still soft but sealed as far as I can tell.
@@TheProvidentPrepper I did them about 3 weeks ago. All are sealed up tight. I can't tell that they have reduced in size at all.
Same here. Disappointed in Wallaby. The Mylar bags from packfreshusa are like night/day. All of the Mylar bags worked perfectly but the wallaby brand were a waste of $$$$. All the prepping channels it seems recommends them because I’m guessing they are affiliated and make $$$$
I was curious since I had some oxygen absorbers that didn't seem to do the job so I took the indicator and put it out in the air in my kitchen and have had it out for a month and it hasn't changed color at all. I don't trust the indicators anymore. I will try the feel test and pray. I also use my iron to seal my bags.
Hi - I am new to this so I really appreciate all your explanations. I have a question. I see some videos from others showing that some items can be stored in mason jars. For example, sugar without an O2 absorber and oats with an O2 absorber - and of course stored in a cool, dark, dry place. What are your thoughts on this?
When sealing the Mylar bags with the zipper top do you close the zipper before heat sealing them or just leave it open
I would love a list of instant potatoes you can store
Hi, I believe, from what I have read, in order to use the oxygen absorbers in the mylar, you can't use them with anything with butter or oils. Some dried potatoes from the store brands, have added butters and oils. The store does sell some with and without those ingredients.
so do you zip lock and then seal? or just heat seal it ??
I HAVE A VAC MASTER 320 CHAMBER VACUUM SEALER. CAN I STILL CHAMABER VACUUM SEAL THE BRAND OF BAGS THAT YOU ARE USING AND WITH THE GUSSET TOO.
Once you put the mylar in a secondary container...
Would it be ok to store them in a cellular? It would be cool and dark but it would be in an environment with humidity.
Where did you get your machine there for heat sealing not the hair straightener but the white thing an impulse sealer
we only use nut flours(and other grain free flours)- what is the best way to store- buy in bulk when we can and keep in freezer in bags using commercial vacuum sealer(keeps light off them-- but would like to try mylar and free up some freezer space- not sure if it needs an o2 absorber thanks in advance- have not seen anything on youtube on this
Does altitude make any difference in food storage? Does it affect the oxygenators effectiveness?
Can you use a clothes iron to seal the Mylar bag?
if i put sugar in the mylar bag and use my food saver do i use the vacuum seal or just seal?
We did our first mylar project last night. Bagged 10lbs of rice and about 20lbs of beans. This morning the bags were still puffy and didn't seem "right" i thought the bag would suck down more. So i ran a sink full of water and dunked all of our mylar bags and squeezed them under water looking for signs of a leak. And there was NO evidence of a bad seal. We used 1gal bags with two 500cc Oxygen absorbers(overkill, i know) but for our first time i went overboard. But i think my bags are puffy because i wasn't focused on squeezing the excess air as my wife sealed them. Thoughts???
Hi do you have any ideas or suggestions for me... I am having a hard time eating the foods I get before the expiration dates.... I try to get long term foods .I feel like things are getting wasted....... I am sorry if this is off your subject in this video.... Great information in this video thanks
I zipped mine close but didn't iron seal it. Will that effect how the oxygen absorbers work?